Poker is a game of strategy and chance, in which the players try to make the best possible hand. Although the outcome is mostly determined by chance, it is also affected by skill. There are different rules and variations to the game, which can vary significantly.

The goal is to build the best poker hand from the cards the dealer has given you. A player’s best hand should include at least two cards of the same suit. This is called a flush.

Another player’s best hand is called a straight. A straight is made up of five consecutive cards from the same suit. It is even rarer than a four of a kind.

A player’s best hand is often the highest, but it may not always win the pot. If a player makes a bet that is not called by any other player, he wins the pot.

Generally, a bet in a typical poker game is limited to the number of chips in the pot. For example, if a player has a pair of jacks, he must bet at least eight chips, and he can raise to 14 chips.

A player’s best hand may be a bluff, which is an attempt to make a bet in order to get an opponent to fold. Some players will check and stay in the hand, which means they do not make a bet. Other players will raise and call.

In the case of two players with a flush, the pot is won by the person who has the highest card in the flush. When a player has a pair of kings, he wins the pot when two other players have a pair of queens.